Would you leave CAL for NJA?

[CAL EWR B737]

Yeah, it's tough.

Drove to work and preflighted the jet about 250 ft from where I parked. Sat around on standby with my flying partner yesterday at the FBO in a leather recliner. I drank green tea, ate company provided crewmeals... Chicken Cordon Bleu (sp?) and sliced filet (medium rare) while watching various sporting events and movies.

Enjoyed a great layover last night complete with Irish tunes and scenery. I couldn't understand a darned thing the guy with the mic was saying. Sounded like Brad Pitt's character in Snatch. Pure awesomeness.

Today... preflighted the jet. Repeat for 6 hours only changing the meals slightly. Bad Boys 2 is on the big screen. Flight later this afternoon.

All that and I expect to make 155K-185K next year depending on what schedule I will bid. Not bad and FAR better than average.

I will never go back to a major if I have the choice. I would leave aviation first.

Now, for a F/O starting out... if the TA passes... I still think this is a better deal. QOL is FAR better than 121. F/Os make somewhere arounf 68% of what Captains make here so earning potential is not bad in the right seat.

100% paid medical.

50% match on 401K up to the federal limit. ROTH 401K option too.

No commute. No sleeping in crew rooms on a hard floor while listening to the sounds of two random crewmembers sneaking a quickie on the couch around the corner.

Hiltons, Marriotts, Crowne Plazas and Hyatts for hotels (with the occasional Holiday Inn type hotel in smaller markets).

Crew food.

TSA exposure usually only 2wice per tour.

The ONLY thing I see 121 offering now is a diferent crew dynamic. I can do without that.

A couple of other things to consider that are way bigger than the type of flying we do.

1) We have the financial backing of Berk Hath (Warren Buffett) here. They print their own money...

2) Our CEO MADE this business. He loves it. I far more enjoy having him at the helm than some trust fund reject that made Cs and Ds at the Wharton School of Business.

3) We will not park airplanes as the price of oil climbs. Our Owners will fly regardless.

Honest question no flame. What is your LTD situation? IF you medical out tomorrow and never fly again how much will you get and for how long? How many pilots at Net Jets have medical'd out?

 

[johnsonrod]

Planes do get parked in the corporate and frac. world, and then the folks head back to the cheaper seat airlines. When times get hard, both business jets and airliners get parked and or sold!

Mergers happen in the airline world. Pilots do get furloughed and marginalized.

Airlines expect pilots to bend over backwards for a job and therefore provide them with pi$$-poor pay and benefits to start (CAL's starting salary/benefits package is a complete joke and shows tremendous disrespect for pilots in general). Exploitation is nothing new in the airline business. Meanwhile, Netjets' new TA should set a high standard for newhires in any aviation company. 100% coverage of health insurance for the entire family is a great example - that's rare.

 

[FLYLOW22]

Netjets is a great company, but for my personal tastes, I like my airline standardization, and having control over my schedule and life. I know where I'm going next and I'll never have to sit around and FBO waiting on people again.

And none here will tell you that this career is for everyone. As far as the above points...

"Airlne Standardization"
We train like an airline with the same recurrent/intial training scenarios and frequencies. SICs actually train more than 121 SICs, attending a no-risk sim recurrent every other 6 months opposite their PC. We use SOPs and we have standard cockpits/checklists.

"Control" over schedule and life.
Any pilot on the 7n7 knows his/her schedule years in advance. I can plan the next 16 dentist visits if/when this TA passes if I choose to. I can't imagine any more control.

Where to go? All the darn waiting!
Who cares. The pay is the same and if you go international, customs is a pain. We get paid the same for sitting on recliner duty in front of a 70" plasma drinking coffee, sufing the web and snoozing as flying we do flying an ILS to mins at Belmar, NJ.

As soon as I got the whole "Ok. I'll be in LAX for an overnight on the 28th and I will block in at 1832L for a 20+56 overnight and I will stay at the crew hotel." outta my mind, NJA flying became much more relaxing.

I pack for anything from Barbabdos to Bermuda... who cares. I have to be somewhere for 7 days, why not wherever. It's not 7 hard days of flying either. Day 1 and 7 are spent travelling (usually). The other 5 can be any type of flying; short hops, transcons, red eyes, international, GA airports, PHL, military, a trip to Cuba... anything.

 

[CAL EWR B737]

I haven't posted much on here lately but have been meaning to say this for a while. Don't come here...

- If you aren't willing to load the bags in the jet;
-
:beer:

Honest question what is the situation on loading bags?

 

[FLYLOW22]

Honest question no flame. What is your LTD situation? IF you medical out tomorrow and never fly again how much will you get and for how long? How many pilots at Net Jets have medical'd out?

There have been medical cases resulting in STD/LTD here at NJA.

In general, there is STD and LTD as well as a sick bank to exhaust. There is also loss of license insurance offered in the benefits package.

STD and LTD provide 60% of your base wage. Our base wage is a salary, resembling guarantee pay.

I'm not sure of the duration of LTD so I looked it up in the CBA. Maybe someone else knows??

The same language is in the TA except the loss of license pay out was increased to 3 years from 2.

24.6 Disability Salary Continuation, Long Term Disability Insurance, Loss of Medical
Certificate Disability Benefit and Aero-Medical Benefits​

All Crewmembers covered under this Agreement shall be entitled to a salary continuation
benefit if the pilot becomes disabled within the meaning of the salary continuation plan
document. Crewmembers who are notified of LTD eligibility are required to immediately file an
LTD claim according to the procedures outlined in the appropriate plan documents. Failure to do so
may result in postponement of benefits.
The salary continuation benefit equals sixty (60) percent of a pilot’s base salary on the date of
disability (subject to increases the pilot would have received but for the disability) and shall
continue for one hundred and eighty (180) days from date of disability. A pilot may elect to use
paid sick days for any portion of the benefit period, provided those days a pilot elects to use a
paid sick day shall be charged against the one hundred and eighty day (180) benefit period.​

All Crewmembers covered under this Agreement shall receive long-term disability benefits
equal to the lesser of sixty (60) percent of a pilot’s base salary (subject to any increases in
salary the pilot would have received but for the disability) or five thousand ($5,000) dollars per
month beginning the one hundred and eighty-first (181st) day of disability in accordance with the
terms and conditions of the Company’s regular and loss of medical long term disability plan
documents.​

Subject to the qualification requirements of the Company’s loss of medical disability benefit,
pilots shall receive a two (2) year loss of medical certificate insurance benefit equal to the lesser
of sixty (60) percent of a pilot’s base salary (subject to any increases the pilot would have
received but for the disability) or five thousand ($5,000.00) dollars per month beginning on the
one hundred and eighty first (181st) day of disability. For purposes of the loss of medical
disability benefit, the definition of disability shall include disqualifying conditions set forth in
FAR Part 67.
Should a disability qualify for benefits payable under either the regular or loss of medical
disability plans, or both plans concurrently, the aggregate benefit may not exceed sixty (60)
percent of the pilot’s base monthly salary or $5000.00 per month from both sources.​

 

[FLYLOW22]

Honest question what is the situation on loading bags? I am going to be referring a friend to CAL who is very senior, well liked (non union company) and a check airman at XYZ FRAX (I know different company but same mission and I am told similar pay is that true???)

The reason I am referring him to CAL (he loves shares) he has injured his back from loading hundred s of pounds of bags on Citation. I am told in order to do so you have to bend in an unusual position while lifting to get bags into the cargo bin is this true? His doctor has cleared him to work as long as he doesn't load bags as part of his job. No problem carrying the 35lb flight bag into and out of cockpit.

So whats the deal on loading bags even for a CA at Net Jets? I am told his bag situation at XYZ is common especially during ski season.

Some planes are better to work with than others. Some of our older pilots (or ones with previous back injury) tip a lineman to load the bags and then get reimbursed for the tip.

In general, it pays to tip someone else to load it if you are unsure about the outcome.

We do load bags but I do it with a clear vision of what will go where and I do it as a comfortable pace. The easiest way to rip your shoulder/back is to get into a rush.

SAFETY
SERVICE
SCHEDULE

 

[CAL EWR B737]

Thanks for your answers to my questions. Sounds like your place (NJETS) is much better then Citation Shares as they have no contract/union and have to load the bags themselves no tipping and have someone else pay.

Last question is that 60% of pay tax free or taxable income while on LTD?

 

[yankee]

Wow

This sounds like the typical the grass is greener. XLR...you sound like a huge whiner. Bad tone!

I guarantee if you get on with NetJets, there will be at least one instance where your poor Captain or FO will have to put up with.."Well at Continental, we did it like this..."

Your on with a legacy carrier and your complaining. BAD FREAKIN TONE!!!!!! Hey mommas boy..I have a crazy idea....MOVE to BASE. Or even better have your lover go to work and you can stay home and keep house.

UNBELIEVABLE man!!!!
UNBELIEVABLE!!

 

[yankee]

KIDS!!!! UN...freakin Grateful!!!!

 

[FLYLOW22]

Thanks for your answers to my questions. Sounds like your place (NJETS) is much better then Citation Shares as they have no contract/union and have to load the bags themselves no tipping and have someone else pay.

Last question is that 60% of pay tax free or taxable income while on LTD?

That last question I need to defer to someone else.

I would GUESS it is taxable.